UK Hands Sovereignty of Chagos Islands to China-Aligned Mauritius

The UK has agreed to a deal to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, in the Indian Ocean, to Mauritius but said the status of the U.S. military base on Diego Garcia will be preserved.
Diego Garcia, which hosts an air base that was crucial during the 2003 Iraq War, is one of more than 60 islands in the archipelago, and the United States has had a presence there since 1966.
Mauritius became independent in 1968, but it has always claimed it was forced to give up the Chagos Islands as a condition of being released from the British Empire.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said on Oct. 3: “Today’s agreement secures this vital military base for the future.
“It will strengthen our role in safeguarding global security, shut down any possibility of the Indian Ocean being used as a dangerous illegal migration route to the UK, as well as guaranteeing our long-term relationship with Mauritius, a close Commonwealth partner.”
The deal was immediately criticized by former British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, one of four candidates competing for the leadership of the opposition Conservative Party.
Mauritius has a close relationship with China, and last month, the Bank of Mauritius and the People’s Bank of China signed a bilateral currency swap agreement. The two countries have also signed a free trade agreement, which came into force in 2021.
Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth has been the leader of the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM) since 2003.
Mauritius is holding elections in November, and the return of the Chagos Islands could boost the MSM, which holds 42 of the 70 seats in the Mauritian Parliament.
Around 2,000 Chagos islanders, sometimes known as Chagossians, were forcibly relocated to the UK in the 1970s to clear the way for the expansion of the air base, and they will now be allowed to return home as part of the deal, although Diego Garcia will remain out of bounds.
“This government inherited a situation where the long-term, secure operation of the Diego Garcia military base was under threat, with contested sovereignty and ongoing legal challenges,” Lammy said.
In a joint statement, the UK and Mauritius said the deal had the support and assistance of the United States and India.
The UK had exercised control over the region since 1814 but separated the Chagos Islands from Mauritius in 1965, creating what became known as the British Indian Ocean Territory.
It was one of the UK’s last remaining overseas possessions, most of which are in the Caribbean or the South Atlantic.
The UK, Australia, Israel, Hungary, the Maldives, and the United States voted against the resolution, with 56 countries abstaining.
The UK has 13 remaining overseas territories—Anguilla, Ascension Island, Bermuda, the British Antarctic Territory, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn Island, St. Helena, Tristan da Cunha, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.